


White Ribbon

by carikube_ft



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:26:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carikube_ft/pseuds/carikube_ft
Summary: Jun hated people leaving. He hated his father leaving, he hated his friends leaving, he hated anyone who left. He hated Minghao for leaving.Minghao hated leaving people. He hated leaving family members. He hated leaving his memories behind. He hated leaving friends. He hated himself for leaving Junhui.
Relationships: Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this a while ago and thought it was decent sooooo

Jun hated people leaving. He hated his father leaving, he hated his friends leaving, he hated anyone who left. He hated Minghao for leaving.

_“Minghao-ah, which high school are you planing on going to?” Wen Junhui asked at the age of 15, leaning his head onto Minghao shoulder._

_“I dont know, I was thinking about going back to China. ” Minghao replied as Jun’s head shoots right up._

_“You’re leaving Korea?” Jun asked, turning his body to face the other boy. Minghao nodded slowly, fidgeting with Jun’s hand before Jun pulls away._

_“I don’t want to stay here without you.”_   
_“Then come back with me”_

_“I wish I could.”_

_They sat in silence for a while, before Minghao stands up with a sigh._

_“I will miss you, a lot.” He said, walking away._

And the boys stopped talking to each other, even if each other was the only person they liked talking to.

“Jun, do you believe in destiny?” Wonwoo asked on a Saturday, looking up from his book, taking a sip of his coffee.

“I guess. People who are destined to be together will find each other one way or another, at least thats what I believe.”

“Hm, I should have expected that answer from you, a hopeless romantic.” Wonwoo said as he sighs dramatically, earning a playful slap from Jun. Wonwoo continued reading his novel, as Jun looks at the thin white ribbon tied loosely on his left wrist.

_“Minghao! Merry Christmas!” Jun said cheerfully at the age of 13, handing his friend for a well wrapped present._

_“Wow. You like me so much that you got my a present in a wrapper, I’m touched.” Minghao joked as he gently ripped the wrapper, revealing a small white box. He opened the box and is confused to see a thin piece of ribbon. He lifted the ribbon from to box for a closer look. The ribbon appears to be a bracelet, made out of silk with silver clasps on the end._

_Junhui coughed dramatically and roll up his sleeves, showing an almost identical white ribbon on his left wrist._

_“I- I thought it was sorta cute so I bought one for you and for me. I mean, y-you don’t have to wear if you don’t want to, it’s just, I don’t know, I-”_

_“I like it a lot Jun, thank you.” Minghao interrupted, smiling softly as he puts the bracelet on._

“Ah, it was a bit unfortunate as the male lead didn’t actually got together with the female lead at the end of the novel, they just… moved on.” Wonwoo yawned, walking out of the small cafe.

“I guess thats just life, maybe they weren’t meant to be.” Jun shrugged, breathing in the cold air of December.

“Yeah, but I would like to think that it’s because the guy was such a jerk, the girl didn’t deserve him.” Wonwoo said.

Jun chuckled softly: “Sure.”

“Junhui ah, when will we ever fall in love?” Wonwoo asked. Jun hangs his arm around his friends neck.

“When-”  
“When the timing is right~ You say that but what if, what if, we still have to wait like, forty more years?”

“Then-”

“Then we do, right? Oh! Will I ever find love?”

“You would find love if you didn’t interrupted my sentences all the time.” Jun said cheekily as Wonwoo waves his hand to catch a taxi.

“Let’s hangout tomorrow?” Wonwoo asks, before getting in the taxi.  
“Nah, I have to work a the Cafe tomorrow. Don’t miss me too much~”

“Ffs bye. I might end up visiting you anyways since I have nothing better to do.” Wonwoo said, shutting the door.

“See ya.” Jun waved as he starts to walk back home.

_“Minghao! My dad shipped some of this red tea from China to mom and I, you wanna try?” Jun said excitedly at the age of 13, waving a red tin box in front of Minghao. They were supposed to work on a school project at Jun’s house, the friends finished fast and ended up just hanging out. Minghao peaked up from his book and smiled for a second, before putting on a straight face and pretended to continue reading._

_“Jun, don’t interrupt me, it’s getting really good.”_

_“I knew you’re gonna say that! Which is why, dun dun dun~” Jun sings as he turn around to his desk, putting down the box and lifting two cups steaming with heat._

_“I’ve already prepared two while you were reading!” Jun said, smiling bright, handing Minghao one._

_“Wow. I’m so surprised.” Minghao said sarcastically since he watched his best friend prepared the drinks with the side of his eyes. Jun scrunches his nose slightly after taking a sip, sitting up and putting his cup down, leaving the room. Seconds later, he returned with a spoon, can of whip cream and a small carton of vanilla ice cream. Minghao watched him as he takes a scope of the ice cream, pops it into the cup of red tea, and finishes it off with some whip cream._

_“Ah. Now it’s so much better.” Jun says proudly after taking a sip._   
_“Wanna try?” Jun asks, handing Minghao the cup._

_“No.” Minghao says, as he takes the cup and tries it anyways._

_“How is it?”_   
_“Wow.”_

_“I knew you would love it~”_

“One hot chocolate please.”

Junhui smiled and turns around to the ordering area after hearing the familiar voice.

“Ah, Wonwoo you’re here?” He asked, still holding the can of whipped cream in his hand.

“Hm. You better finish that order of yours before the mocha gets cold.” Wonwoo said, watching the barista top the mocha with whipped cream and serve it to the customer in a haste.

“My shift is done in ten, let’s grab lunch after.” Jun suggested, taking off his apron. Wonwoo hummed in agreement as he finish paying for his drink.

“Hey Mingyu? I’ll take a quick trip to the restroom, I won’t be gone for more than five.” Jun said to the other part time worker, who nodded in return.

“Ah perfect timing Jun. We got quite a interesting new order just seconds ago.” Mingyu said, passing Junhui’s apron back to him.

“The customer asks for hot red tea with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.”

Wonwoo snickered: “That’s something you would order yourself.”

“…”

“Jun?”

“And whose name is it under?”  
“This guy called Mingh.. Minghao.”

Jun felt his hand tremble as he finishes the drink with the whip cream. Minghao, as his childhood friend? Minghao, as the boy who left him? Minghao, his first love? Perhaps it was a coincidence, that there is another guy named Minghao who happens to like red tea topped with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. Jun knew that it’s quite unlikely, and he is determined to make sure they never meet again, to lock his pass him behind.

“Mingyu ah, could you- could you serve the tea to the Minghao guy for me? Don’t ask, I’ll cover your shift next Monday. ” Jun asked, hopping Mingyu wouldn’t question his weird request.

“Sure.” Mingyu agrees willingly, side eyeing Jun, glance filled with curiosity.

The rest of the day went pass fast, so did the week. The next Monday rolled around fast, and Jun had almost forgot about Minghao. Almost. Jun sighed as he exits his apartments, on his way to the Cafe. He swore under his breath as raindrops began to fall. By the time he reach the Cafe, he was dripping wet.

“Welcome to Carat cafe, what can I get for you today-” Jun greeted after hearing the bell ring, changed into an extra uniform and drying his hair with a towel. He stops his sentence midway, when he stares into the eyes who he loved.

“Minghao?”

_Beep… beep…_  
“Hello?”

“Wonwoo, I met him. I met- met Minghao”

“Wait, Minghao… the Minghao? The reason you're wearing white ribbon? The guy you liked? The guy you’re… still waiting for?”

“I’m not- yes, yes. You could say that.”

“Ahhh I knew it. That’s why you were freaking out at the Cafe last time, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you two talk? Or is our Junnie awkward again, running away?”

“Bro that was one time! But yes, we did talk. It was… a bit awkward, but…”

“But?”

“We just talked for a few minute, another customer came in and I helped her out. By the time I was done, he left.”

“…”  
“There are so many question I could have asked. I want to ask him did he ever miss me, the way I missed him. I want to ask him do he have a girlfriend, did he ever regret his decision. But all I asked was how are you, giving vague answers to his questions.”

“Jun, he’ll visit again.”

“I thought I was able to move on from him, I thought he didn’t matter anymore, I want to start a relationship with someone new. But the moment I heard his name from Mingyu, I knew it would all begin again. And now I’m just gonna let it end before it even started.”

“Jun, he will visit again.”

“Ah why did I said those useless things? Why did I- ”

“Jun! He will visit again.”

“I doubt it, even if he did, it’s probably for Mingyu. You know how handsome and nice Mingyu is, it’s like he walked straight-out of an anime, like-”

“Jun! He will visit again, and if I didn’t made myself clear, he will visit again, for you.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Sigh. When Mingyu served the tea to him, I was sitting next to him, and he looked disappointed.”

“Maybe he wasn’t satisfied with the drink.”

“Let me finish, he looked disappointed, and asked if there was anyone else working. Specifically, he asked if there was a Chinese part time worker, Chinese!”

“…”

“Mingyu told him that theres a guy called Jun, you should have seen his face man. Like a mix of happiness and weariness ”

“…”

“Jun? You there?”

“…”

“Hello?”

“Wonwoo… should I look for him in the cafe tomorrow?”


	2. Chapter 2

Minghao hated leaving people. He hated leaving family members. He hated leaving his memories behind. He hated leaving friends. He hated himself for leaving Junhui. 

_“So, this is our new student Minghao, from China. Everyone be nice!” The teacher said, interrupting the chattering nine year olds. The third graders whispered amongst each other, staring at the Chinese boy with short brown hair, not knowing what to say._

_“Hi Min… Minghao? Wait, are you.. Kim Minghao?” A boy with black hair broke the silence, standing up from his chair. Before Minghao got to say anything, the boy rushed from his seat, staring at Minghao two inches away from his face._

_“Your face got smaller. Are your eyes always this big? You dyed your hair brown? I thought you liked your blue hair.”_

_Minghao stood there, not knowing what to do. The boy in front of him, lifting pieced of his hair and observing him, clearly mistaken Minghao for someone else._

_“I’m not-”_

_“Hows your sister? Did she get in the school she liked?”_

_“I’m- I’m an only child.”_

_“…”_

_“…”_

_“I’m sorry but, you’re Minghao right?”_

_“Yes. Xu Minghao.”_

_It was a great first encounter._

_05:26_ am. Minghao arrived Incheon International Airport four minutes earlier than estimated. It has been… awhile since he last step in South Korea, ten years to be exact. He left when he was 15, after living here for six years. Minghao took a deep breath before opening his phone again, contacting his friend. 

“Hey Soonyoung ? I’m here.”

_“Minghao! Meet my new friend Soonyoung! ” Jun introduced excitedly at the age of 14, dragging the new student. Minghao smiled awkwardly and took out his hand._

_“Nice to meet you, I’m Minghao, Xu Minghao.”_

_The boy looked up with bright eyes and chubby cheeks._

_“Hi! I’m Kwon Soonyoung , nice to meet you too.”_

“Ah I can’t believe you’re back! It has been so long.” Soonyoung said while giving Minghao a friendly hug. 

“Yeah, I missed you bro. How are you these days?” Minghao asked. 

“Pretty good, life is sorta easy right now.” Soonyoungreplied, taking the luggage from Minghao’s hand and leading him to his car.

“What about you? What took you so long before coming back?” 

Minghao stopped and thinks for a while before answering. He wasn’t sure why either, maybe he was afraid, afraid to see people he loved again. 

“I guess I was just busy.” Minghao said, using a lame excuse. He could tell that Soonyoung knew there was another reason, but he’s thankful that he didn’t question any further. The rest of the walk was quiet, until Soonyoungbreaks the silence after reaching the car.

“Ah anyways. Do you still keep in touch with Jun? You guys used to be inseparable in middle school.” Soonyoung asked, opening the trunk of his car and loading Minghao’s luggage in. 

“… No.. How- How is he these days?” Minghao asked, hands hovering his nape.

“He graduated college with a degree in traditional Chinese dance and is now working part time at a cafe, doing pretty good if you ask me.”

“Ah.. good for him.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“Do you.. want to meet up with him? I have the address of the cafe if you’re interested.”

“I- I don’t know man, it’s been so long since we last talked. ” 

“It’ll be nice. Either way, I’ll be sending the address to you. It’s your choice, but, I’d say go.”

Thats how Minghao found himself in front of Carat Cafe the next day. Before he enters the cafe, he fixes his hair one last time with his reflection from the glass door. The short, brown hair is now replaced with black mullet. He wore a dress shirt with jeans he drew on, a long coat and glasses as accessories. 

“Here we go.” Minghao mutters to himself, pushing the door open. 

“Welcome to Carat Cafe, how may I help you today?” Greeted the barista. A wave of relief and disappointment washes over Minghao as he realise Junhui is no where to be found. He clears his throat and takes a look at the menu.

“I would have a small red tea, hot.” Minghao said, taking out his wallet.

“Alright, anything else?”

“No, but uh.. is it possible to top the red tea with ice cream and whipped cream?” 

“We could do that, but it will charge a bit more.”

“Then I’ll have that.” 

  
Minghao took out his credit card to pay for the drink. He squinted his eyes to look at the barista’s name tag, _Mingyu_. 

“Thank you sir. And whose name would it be under?”

“Seo Myeo- Minghao. Just Minghao.”

“Alright. Please choose a table to sit at and we’ll bring the tea to you in a short while.”

“Here’s your tea sir. ” The barista, or Mingyu said as he placed the cup onto a table near the entrance. 

“Thank you.” Minghao said, giving Mingyu a quick smile. 

“Oh and uh, Mingyu-ssi? Can I ask you a question?” Minghao asked before the barista walked away. 

“Yes?”

“Is Ju- Is there happen to be another barista?”

“Yes. We have a few other baristas and servers that are here on other days. Usually, we have two baristas, or servers, each day.”

“Is there, perhaps, a barista from.. China?” 

“Yes. We have a guy from Shenzhen, he’s name is Jun.”

_Jun is- My Jun is actually here._

“Is he- is he here today?”

“Ye-” 

Minghao watches as the guy sitting next to him nudges the barista.

“N-no, he’ll be here next Monday, and if you don’t mind me asking, why are you inquiring about our employee?” 

“I- I’m just curious, thank you for your information.” Minghao said, looking away before further conformation. 

The next Monday, Minghao found himself stumbling in front of Carat Cafe once again. He sighed to himself, smoothing out the front of his shirt. Before entering the cafe, he looked down at his left wrist, smiling softly as he look at the ribbon.

_“Minghao ah, why do you always wear that ribbon around your wrist?” Minghao’s mom asked him a few years back, looking at her son washing the ribbon clean again. Minghao smiled as he places the ribbon on a drying rack._

_“I don’t know, it’s just important.” He lied, fully knowing Jun is the reason why._

_“Mm. Do you want a new one? We can always go find a cleaner newer one.”_

_“Nah, this is perfect.”_

“Welcome to Carat Cafe. What can I get for you today-”

“Minghao?” 


	3. Chapter 3

It’s raining again, which means the Cafe is empty once again. Jun sighed, resting his chin on his hand, taking a sip of steaming hot chocolate. Compared with sunny days with better business, he prefers days like this. Days where he gets to daydream all day, listening to the soft sounds of rain hitting the ground. He laughed softly to himself after thinking of an old joke, enjoying the peace that was soon to be disturbed by the ringing bell. Surprised to be disturbed, Jun looked up, both startled and relief to see Minghao again.

“We-Welcome to Carat Cafe. What can I get for you today.” Jun asked, standing up from his seat and smoothing the wrinkles on his shirt. He took a better look of Minghao. He was around the same height as Junhui now, brown hair now in a black mullet. He was wet, probably from the rain. Jun walked to the back of the room, grabbed a clean towel and tossed it to Minghao.

“Y-You’re dripping wet, dry up.” He said, trying to sound perfectly calm. 

“Thanks.” Minghao said, smiling. _I missed that smile._

“So uh, what would you like to order?” Jun asked, staying professional.

“…”

“We just came out with a new type of frappcino, it’s-”

“I’d like to have you.”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“I didn’t run through the rain for coffee, Junhui, I did it to see you.”

_“Minghao? I’d love to see you but why are you here?” Jun asked at the age of 13, opening the door to find his best friend standing outside, cloths and hair wet from the storm._

_“I, I just wanted to see you.” Minghao said, a bit out of breath._

_“Your mom let you out at this hour? Is she not with you?” Jun asked, finding nothing behind Minghao instead of his own shadow, darker than ever._

_“She- she yea. I ran out when she went- grocery shopping, yes.” Minghao said, his tears blending with the rain._

_“And your dad?”_

_“H-he went with her.”_

_“So what brought you here?”_

_“I just wanted… air.. that’s all-” Before Minghao got to finish his sentence, he bursted out crying. Startled, Junhui held Minghao’s hand, not knowing what to say._

_“They are not coming back, Jun, at least not together.”Minghao said, tears rolling down his delicate cheeks._

_“What do you mean?” Junhui asked softly, using his sleeves to wipe away Minghao’s tears._

_“Th-They fought, and threw things around, a-and it was scary, I’m scared, Junhui.”_

_Not caring about his wet cloth, Junhui pulled Minghao into a comforting hug. He knew Minghao’s parent never liked each other and how they would fight over every little thing in front of Minghao. He hated them for doing that. By the look of things, the fight got pretty serious, negatively effecting his Minghao. Jun runs his hand through Minghao’s hair softly, humming a song Minghao likes, trying to take away some of his sadness._

_“It’ll be okay, Minghao. It’ll be okay.”_

_It was the most vulnerable scenario Jun ever seen Minghao in, and he is glad that Minghao trusted him enough to show the weak side of him._

Minghao felt his cheeks warming up after the sudden outburst, regretting his choice of word. He looked away from Junhui, focusing on his shoes instead. To his relief, Jun chuckled. 

“That was surprising, you know, since last time you came, you were so nonchalant about everything.” Junhui said with a soft smile. 

“I- yeah, I was trying to be, cool.” Minghao said, hands hovering over his nape. 

“I get it, now, let’s sit and have a real conversation.” Jun suggested, walking out of the counter. He hopped over to Minghao and grabbed his hand, dragging him to an empty table. Slightly flustered from the interaction, Minghao pulls out the chair and sits after clearing his throat. 

“So uh, let’s skip the awkward ‘how are yous’. What are you doing in Korea?” Junhui asked, eyes on his fidgeting hands.

“I thought it would be nice, you know, to catch up with people.” Minghao said, also avoiding eye contact. 

“When are you going back to China?” Jun asked. 

“I- won’t be going back.” And with that, Junhui looked up. His eyes are curious but he held himself back from asking the reason why. 

“My mom, she got married again. Dad.. wasn’t very happy about it. We got into a few serious arguments and I decided it’d be the best for both of us for me to move away.” Minghao said, completely aware of Jun’s curiosity. Junhui was silent for a few seconds whispering a soft “I’m sorry”. Minghao hums in return, he looked at Jun’s had, that’s placed on top of his subconsciously after he started his story. Jun noticed it too, and boys glance at each other for a short second before both looking away flustered, with Jun immediately moving his hand elsewhere. Jun looked down to Minghao’s wrist, a spark crosses his eyes as he saw the white ribbon. 

“You’re still.. wearing the ribbon?” Jun asked, both surprised and glad. Minghao looked towards his own wrist, face turning the slight bit of red, hiding his hand under the table. 

“Yeah. I like it. It’s comfortable and it looks nice.” Minghao said, a bit embarrassed. Jun smiled and pull his sleeves up, revealing the same white ribbon. 

“Mm. Me too.” Jun said, sharing a soft smile with Minghao. 

“My mouth is a bit dry from the talking, you want something to drink? It’s on me.” Jun asked, standing up.

“Of course. Why will I visit you if I don’t get the drink for free?” Minghao snickered, making his usual sarcastic remark. Jun stopped in his track, Minghao realised what he said and immediately freaked out. 

“I- I meant that as a joke, I’m here for you, not for a stupid drink, I- don’t take it the wrong way-” Before he finished babbling, he was disturbed by Junhui’s laugh. Jun threw his head back, slightly stomping his feet. Minghao was confused, to say so at least. He expected Jun to get quiet, upset, angry even, but he did not expect him to laugh so.. so ‘Jun’ like.

“Finally! I was wondering when the sarcastic Hao would come out.” Jun said, after his fit of laughter. 

“I’ll take that as a red tea, with ice-cream and whip cream of course.” He said, preparing the drinks. 

Times pass fast when you’re having fun, they say. Junhui and Minghao chatted from the start of his shift to the end, around 4pm. They were friends again, and promised to met up sometimes this week after trading numbers. 


End file.
